Written by
John M. Young
Recently a reader, Sascha from Germany, messaged me in a Facebook group and mentioned that he liked my detailed descriptions of the processes used in restorations but he had never heard of some of the products I use. I thought, “Oh, yeah. Not everyone lives in southeast Nebraska.” That completely explains why the nearest town has a population of 480 people. If everyone lived here it would probably be more like 8 billion. Also, WordPress has a function where viewers’ countries are shown. My ramblings have been viewed by amazing people in 34 different countries. I find this astounding and I am glad that I don’t have to pay the postage for my blogs to reach each of you.
Well, back to Sascha’s concern. He was unfamiliar with Murphy’s Oil Soap. I quickly did a search for German equivalents of the Murphy’s and found that: Murphy’s Oil Soap = Schmierseife in German and suggested that he try Denkmit Schmierseife gold as a product. The logistics of me doing this for every product I use for 34 countries immediately made my head explode. Fortunately, there isn’t much inside my head so the clean-up of an exploded head was minimal.
I did figure that I would list the main products I use and a link to a supplier, typically Amazon. Now I realize that Amazon may not ship to all points on Earth so I typed in the most remote human habitation of Earth – Tristan Da Cunha. And then searched to see if Amazon delivers there. They do:
“Important Notice – Updated Information for Amazon Global International Shopping to Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha
- Amazon has recently expanded Amazon International Shopping, its selection of items from the main US Amazon store that can be shipped to Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha and other countries.
- It’s a lot like a filtered version of the main Amazon website which simply excludes the items that can’t be shipped to Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha.
- If you’re looking to get an Amazon item shipped to you in Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha, we strongly recommend you start by visiting Amazon International Shopping. (https://flycrates.com/amazon-shipping-to-saint-helena-ascension-and-tristan-da-cunha)
Who would have thought that, eh? Well, now we know.
Below is the list of products used in darn near every restoration:
54 Pack Sanding Blocks, 9 Grits from 320 to 3500, Soft Touch Sanding Pads,2″ x 2″ Sanding Sponge
Starbond 2 oz. Black Medium-Thick CA Glue (Premium Cyanoacrylate Super Glue)
Starbond 2 oz. Super Fast Thin CA Glue (Premium Cyanoacrylate Super Glue)
Starbond “Pinocchio” Pump CA Accelerator – Instantly Dries Super Glue (8 ounce)
2 inch by 2 inch Double Sided Micro-Mesh Soft Touch Sanding Pads
Isopropyl Alcohol 99% (IPA) – USP-NF Concentrated Rubbing Alcohol
Roundfire Premium Ethanol Fireplace Fuel
This one may raise some eyebrows, don’t let the “fuel” fool you. It is just 95% denatured ethyl alcohol.
Before and After Restoration Balm and Deoxidizer.
Pipnet Pipe Reamer 5 Piece 168g
Kleenex Professional Facial Tissue for Business These are used to wipe away the tears when I think of all the pipes I cannot afford to buy.
Fiebing’s Leather Dye – Alcohol Based Permanent Leather Dye – 4 oz This is just the black dye. There are many colors to choose from.
Murphy’s Oil Soap, Coconut, 16 Oz You do not have to use the coconut, it’s just half the money of the regular.
Soft Scrub Multi-Purpose Cleanser with Oxi
BUCKTOOL 6-Inch 1/3HP Low-Speed Bench Grinder, High Precision Wobble-free Wheel Grinder, TLG-150S
I picked up a grinder like the above a while back. I removed the protective guards and replaced the spindles with a convert-your-grinder-to-a-buffer-kit similar to this: PURUI 11PC Metal Polishing Buffing Kit Use on 6″ Bench Grinder
For things like cotton balls, cotton swabs, acetone and toothbrushes, I get them at the dollar store. You can also get the sponge backed emery boards, for filing fingernails, at the dollar store. I pick those up when I am buying birthday cards. Yeah, I’m cheap. Why pay $4.99 for a card when I can get one for $1? I can save the money for more Kleenex tissues for the tears generated by looking at pipes I can’t afford on eBay.
That is a list of stuff that took years to accumulate. I wouldn’t recommend purchasing it all at once or you may incur the wrath of a spousal unit. Or, you may decide that this restoration nonsense isn’t for you. The good news of changing your mind is that most of that stuff has uses besides pipe restoration. Well, maybe not the Pipnet reamer but, a lot of it does. You can always use the alcohol to burn everything thus getting rid of the evidence of your weird life choices.
I hope you have found this helpful in your quest of strange life choices. Thank you for reading the ramblings of an old pipe lover.
NebraskaPeteGeek 